William spielman



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. W. SPIEL'MAN.

Railway Switch.

No. 234,341. Patented NW9, I880.

71 527265565, Invezziw,

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NPETF-NS, FNOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. W. SPIELMAN.

Railway SWififihry No. 234,341. l atehted Nov. 9,1880. r I

'l'lfz'irzesses, Jm/erzim;

' WM. SP/ELMAM ad N N. PETERS, VHOTO-LI'I'NOGRAPii5i?I WASWNGTON. Dv C.

tinrrne STATES PATENT @rmca.

WVILLIAM SPIELMAN, OF ALBANY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES A.

' PRATT, OF WVEST ALBANY, NEW YORK.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 234,341, dated November 9, 188 0.

' Application filed September 24, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM SPIELMAN, of the city and county of Albany, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Switches, 0t

whichfitheLfollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to the class of switches that are automatically operatedby a passing train; and it consists in connecting with the switch-rails a duplex lever constructed as herein described, and so arranged that the switch-rails maytbe automatically restored to their positions for keeping the main track open, or, when desired, the device may be 1 used for changing the tracks by hand in the usual manner My invention also consists in constructing the switch-rails of allesser height than the track-rails, said switch rails being arranged in an inclined position, so that their pivotal ends will lie on the same plane with their conjoining track-rails, and their swinging ends, by being below the heads of the adjacent trackrails, will be taken out of the reach of injury 2 5 from the passing car-wheels.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and to which reference is herein made, Figure l is a plan view of my invention; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section; Fig. 3, a transverse section at the line X X; Fig. 4, an enlarged side elevation of the duplex lever, showing the parts locked together for automatically closing the switchrails Fig. 5, a like view of the duplex lever 3 5 with the parts arranged to operate the switchrails by hand; Fig. 6, a plan view of Fig. 4; and Fig. 7, an enlarged end view of the maintraek and switch rails in my improved chair.

As illustrated in the drawings, A and A represent the rails for the main track, and B and B the rails for the branch track or siding. Allof the said track-rails are of auniform height and are laid in the usual manner.

The switch-rails C are made of lower rails 5 than those for the'main-track rails, the usual difference in height being a half -inch; but their pivotal ends 0 are brought up to a level with the ends of track-rails A and B, against which they abut. One side of the Q posite end of each switch-rail is cut away as shown in Fig. 1, and the head of each is rounded down, as shown in Fig. 2, so that their points will pass under the heads of the track-rails in such manner that the wheels of a passing train will glide over the conjoining parts without touching the points of the switch-rails. TherebyI avoid the danger of doing damage to them. By making the switch-rails of lesser height than the track-rails and adapting their movable ends to fit beneath the heads of the trackrails I avoid the usual necessity for cutting into the track-rails, and am enabled to preserve said rails in all their strength and integrity.

The difference in height between the trackrails and switch-rails is compensated for in the rail-chair D by providing the seats (I and d for the bottom flanges of the rails, arranged on different planes, as shown in Fig. 7, so that the heads of the rails will be brought to the same level.

Re-enforcin g plates 0 are secured to the inside lower flange of each switch-rail at their movable ends, for the purpose of obtaining greater strength for the pivotal joints of the 7 5 tie-rods E, whereby the switch-rails are connected together to move coincidently, and are maintained in a parallel relation to each other.

The mechanism for governing'the switchrails consists of a duplex lever com posed of the procumbent lever F, provided with a weight,

f, which may be either fixed or adjustable, and

an inclined arm, f, adapted to receive the weighted lever Gr. Both levers F and G vibrate, either separately or conjointly, on the stud g in bearings formed in the bracket H. The lever G may be locked in an inclined position in the arm f by means of the hook f formed on said arm and the detachable pin f 3 in such manner that the levers F and G will move as one piece. Near the lower end of the lever G a slotted opening, g, is formed for receiving a stud for the rod that connects the levers with the switch-rails.

The connecting-rod I is attached to the lever 9 5 G by the studt fixed in the end of the rod and engaging in the slotted opening 9 of said lever. The head of the stud i, when the lever Gr is detached to operate independently, will, at either terminal point of its motion, rest on 00 the shoulder h of the bracket H in such manner that the center of the studt will always lie in a plane that is above that of the center of the stud g, the slotted opening g permitting the stud t' to move sufliciently to accomplish this purpose. The opposite end of the rod I isjointed to the lug e on one of the tierods E, thereby completing the connection between the duplex lever and switch-rails.

When the levers F and G are locked together the main track will always be heldin an open condition by means of the weight f, except when a train moves down the branch track in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. l, and then the wheels of the train, by striking that side of the switch-rails that lies toward the rail A, will force both switch-rails sidewise until a junction is formed between the rail A and its proper switch-rail, thereby connecting the tracks so that the train will pass onto the main track. By this movement of the switchrails the weighted end of the lever F is thrown up, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 4, and the parts remain in the positionsjust described until the entire train passes over the switchrails. which, as soon as they are clear, are automatically restored to their former positions by the gravity of the weight f.

\Vhen the lever G is released from its connection with the lever F, which act is effected by simply removing the pin f the switch can then be operated as a hand-set switch by means of the lever Gr alone. But when the levers are so disconnected the switch will still operate as a self-acting safety device by reason of 35 ,will be forced to turn on its pivotal center and permit the switch-rails to shift in the required direction for opening the switch to the approaching train.

Signal-targets of the usual construction may be operated by connecting the outer end of the stud t' with the rods and bell cranks commonly used for such purposes, so that the exact position of the switch-rails may be indicated at at any required distance from the place where the switch is located.

I claim as my invention- 1. As an improvement in railway-switches, the switch-rails 0, made of a lesser height than the track-rails A, A, B, and B, and having the tops of their pivotal ends raised to the same plane with the tops of the conjoining rails and their swinging ends adapted to lie below the heads of the adjoining track-rails, as and for the purpose herein specified.

2. The mechanism herein described for governing the switch-rails O, consisting of a duplex lever composed of the levers F and G, adapted to operate either separately or conjointly, as herein specified.

WILLIAM SPIELMAN. Vitnesses:

WILLIAM H. Low, JAMES BROWN. 

